Mark Damon, a film producer, sales executive, and spaghetti Western actor, died at 91, representatives for the executive told Deadline on Sunday night.
Damon, born Alan Harris in Chicago, started his career in Hollywood in 1956 after signing a contract with 20th Century Fox. After starring in House of Usher, Damon won a Golden Globe for Most Promising Newcomer. The film was directed by Roger Corman, who died on Thursday.
Damon would move to Italy and star in films like The Reluctant Saint (1962), The Young Racers (1963), The Shortest Day (1963), Black Sabbath (1963), 100 Horseman (1964), Secret Agent 777 (1965), Dio, Come Ti Amo! (1966) and Johnny Oro (1966).
he first entered the world of independent sales and production in the 1970s while living and working in Italy where he saw a large market of independent international distributors eager for top American movies. He evolved from acting to film production and, in 1977, founded the Producers Sales Organization to sell American films to international distributors.
Damon, born Alan Harris in Chicago, started his career in Hollywood in 1956 after signing a contract with 20th Century Fox. After starring in House of Usher, Damon won a Golden Globe for Most Promising Newcomer. The film was directed by Roger Corman, who died on Thursday.
Damon would move to Italy and star in films like The Reluctant Saint (1962), The Young Racers (1963), The Shortest Day (1963), Black Sabbath (1963), 100 Horseman (1964), Secret Agent 777 (1965), Dio, Come Ti Amo! (1966) and Johnny Oro (1966).
he first entered the world of independent sales and production in the 1970s while living and working in Italy where he saw a large market of independent international distributors eager for top American movies. He evolved from acting to film production and, in 1977, founded the Producers Sales Organization to sell American films to international distributors.
- 5/13/2024
- by Armando Tinoco
- Deadline Film + TV
Mark Damon, who starred in the Vincent Price horror classic House of Usher and spaghetti Westerns before revolutionizing the foreign sales and distribution film business and producing features including 9 1/2 Weeks, Monster and Lone Survivor, has died. He was 91.
Damon died Sunday of natural causes in Los Angeles, his daughter, Alexis Damon Ribaut, told The Hollywood Reporter.
Damon spent the first 20 years of his career as an actor, including about a dozen as a leading man in Italian action movies, before he transitioned to the business side.
He had early success as an executive producer with two movies written and directed by Wolfgang Petersen: the German-language World War II drama Das Boot (1981), which received six Oscar nominations, and The NeverEnding Story (1984), a big-budget fantasy film that featured a Damon-commissioned score by Giorgio Moroder for non-German audiences.
He shared an Independent Spirit Award with director Patty Jenkins and others...
Damon died Sunday of natural causes in Los Angeles, his daughter, Alexis Damon Ribaut, told The Hollywood Reporter.
Damon spent the first 20 years of his career as an actor, including about a dozen as a leading man in Italian action movies, before he transitioned to the business side.
He had early success as an executive producer with two movies written and directed by Wolfgang Petersen: the German-language World War II drama Das Boot (1981), which received six Oscar nominations, and The NeverEnding Story (1984), a big-budget fantasy film that featured a Damon-commissioned score by Giorgio Moroder for non-German audiences.
He shared an Independent Spirit Award with director Patty Jenkins and others...
- 5/13/2024
- by Mike Barnes
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
City Hunter is an action comedy film directed by Yûichi Satô from a screenplay by Tsukasa Hôjô and Tatsuro Mishima. Based on a popular manga series of the same name by Tsukasa Hojo, the Netflix film follows the story of a private investigator as he teams up with his late partner’s sister to solve his mysterious murder which is connected to a deadly conspiracy. So, if you loved the style, humor, action, and philandering ways of Ryo Saeba in City Hunter, here are some similar films you could watch next.
City Hunter Credit – Golden Harvest
31 years before Suzuki Ryohei took on the role of the philandering Ryo Saeba, the legendary Jackie Chan also starred as the main character in another adaptation of the popular manga by Tsukasa Hojo. Directed by Jing Wong, the 1993 film follows the story of a lustful private investigator who is searching for a missing girl...
City Hunter Credit – Golden Harvest
31 years before Suzuki Ryohei took on the role of the philandering Ryo Saeba, the legendary Jackie Chan also starred as the main character in another adaptation of the popular manga by Tsukasa Hojo. Directed by Jing Wong, the 1993 film follows the story of a lustful private investigator who is searching for a missing girl...
- 5/5/2024
- by Kulwant Singh
- Cinema Blind
Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross have, in less than 15 years, established themselves as the most exciting composers working in contemporary film.
Their first score was David Fincher’s masterpiece “The Social Network.” The score was a haunting, atmospheric triumph, and it won them Oscars, an even more impressive feat given the Academy’s historic anti-rock band bias. And what began as an exclusive collaboration with Fincher soon blossomed outward – they have worked with Pixar and Ken Burns, scored a prestige TV version of Alan Moore’s “Watchmen,” and an animated “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles” movie. They can do it all, while remaining uniquely them.
They are unstoppable, too. This week “Challengers,” from Luca Guadagnino, is released alongside their soundtrack album. And they have a pair of scores still coming this year – for the big-budget Apple movie “The Gorge” and for Guadagnino’s “Queer,” starring Daniel Craig.
For the purposes of this list,...
Their first score was David Fincher’s masterpiece “The Social Network.” The score was a haunting, atmospheric triumph, and it won them Oscars, an even more impressive feat given the Academy’s historic anti-rock band bias. And what began as an exclusive collaboration with Fincher soon blossomed outward – they have worked with Pixar and Ken Burns, scored a prestige TV version of Alan Moore’s “Watchmen,” and an animated “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles” movie. They can do it all, while remaining uniquely them.
They are unstoppable, too. This week “Challengers,” from Luca Guadagnino, is released alongside their soundtrack album. And they have a pair of scores still coming this year – for the big-budget Apple movie “The Gorge” and for Guadagnino’s “Queer,” starring Daniel Craig.
For the purposes of this list,...
- 4/27/2024
- by Drew Taylor
- The Wrap
While the dual union strikes of the writers and the actors postponed some projects, once the studios and unions reached an agreement, there was a lot of catch-up to play. The postponed schedules meant that this year is seeing a delay in several releases. It also looks as if some studios are going to see some releases grouped together. According to The Hollywood Reporter, popular Netflix shows that would have seen a more dispersed schedule are now bunched for later 2024.
The latter half of the year will see the continuation of Netflix’s slate of popular original programming like the anticipated new season of Squid Game, the streaming platform’s biggest series of all time. The schedule will also premiere The Night Agent as well as the final season of the popular Karate Kid sequel series, Cobra Kai. The new season of Outer Banks is also on the dock, plus...
The latter half of the year will see the continuation of Netflix’s slate of popular original programming like the anticipated new season of Squid Game, the streaming platform’s biggest series of all time. The schedule will also premiere The Night Agent as well as the final season of the popular Karate Kid sequel series, Cobra Kai. The new season of Outer Banks is also on the dock, plus...
- 4/19/2024
- by EJ Tangonan
- JoBlo.com
Netflix is gearing up for a big second half of 2024.
Co-CEO Ted Sarandos teased a host of marquee series set to debut in the last six months of the year on the streamer’s first-quarter earnings call Wednesday. Sarandos was asked about going into this year’s upfront market for advertisers and promised that buyers will see a long list of anticipated titles at Netflix’s presentation.
Among the returning series set to premiere in the second half of the year are second seasons of Squid Game — the streamer’s biggest series of all time — and The Night Agent, the final season of Cobra Kai, and new seasons for Outer Banks, Emily in Paris and Ryan Murphy’s Monster anthology, whose second season will focus on Lyle and Erik Menendez. Among the new series set for the back half of the year are Peter Berg’s Western American Primeval, limited...
Co-CEO Ted Sarandos teased a host of marquee series set to debut in the last six months of the year on the streamer’s first-quarter earnings call Wednesday. Sarandos was asked about going into this year’s upfront market for advertisers and promised that buyers will see a long list of anticipated titles at Netflix’s presentation.
Among the returning series set to premiere in the second half of the year are second seasons of Squid Game — the streamer’s biggest series of all time — and The Night Agent, the final season of Cobra Kai, and new seasons for Outer Banks, Emily in Paris and Ryan Murphy’s Monster anthology, whose second season will focus on Lyle and Erik Menendez. Among the new series set for the back half of the year are Peter Berg’s Western American Primeval, limited...
- 4/18/2024
- by Rick Porter
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Swagger is a sports drama in the Apple TV+ series created by Reggie Rock Bythewood. Loosely inspired by the real-life experiences of NBA player Kevin Durant, the Apple TV+ series explores the world of youth basketball through the players and their families and all the people involved in making the youngster’s dream come true. Swagger stars Solomon Irama, Tessa Ferrer, Quvenzhané Wallis, Shinelle Azoroh, O’Seah Jackson Jr., Caleel Harris, Tristan Wilds, Isaiah Hill, James Bingham, and Ozie Nzeribe. So, if you loved Swagger and all of its drama and a look into the world of sports here are some similar shows you should check out next.
All American (Netflix & Rent on Prime Video) Credit – The CW
Inspired by the real-life of pro football player Spencer Paysinger, All American is a sports drama that will show you the story behind the legend just like Swagger did. Created by April Blair,...
All American (Netflix & Rent on Prime Video) Credit – The CW
Inspired by the real-life of pro football player Spencer Paysinger, All American is a sports drama that will show you the story behind the legend just like Swagger did. Created by April Blair,...
- 3/25/2024
- by Kulwant Singh
- Cinema Blind
Exclusive: Reba McEntire’s Untitled NBC Comedy pilot has added three to its expanding cast including Tokala Black Elk (Yellowstone), Rex Linn (Young Sheldon) and Pablo Castelblanco (Alaska Daily).
The pilot follows Bobbie (McEntire) who inherits her father’s restaurant and is less than thrilled to discover that she has a new business partner in the half-sister she never knew she had.
As Deadline exclusively revealed on Monday, Belissa Escobedo will star as Bobbie’s half-sister and Melissa Peterman will play a bartender at the tavern who wishes she was Bobbie’s sister.
Tokala will play Takoda, a waiter at the tavern with serious handyman skills and probably the kindest person you’ve ever met. Linn will play Emmett, a cook at the tavern who is described as a man of few words. Castelblanco will play Steve, the accountant for the tavern who does his work at the bar. He...
The pilot follows Bobbie (McEntire) who inherits her father’s restaurant and is less than thrilled to discover that she has a new business partner in the half-sister she never knew she had.
As Deadline exclusively revealed on Monday, Belissa Escobedo will star as Bobbie’s half-sister and Melissa Peterman will play a bartender at the tavern who wishes she was Bobbie’s sister.
Tokala will play Takoda, a waiter at the tavern with serious handyman skills and probably the kindest person you’ve ever met. Linn will play Emmett, a cook at the tavern who is described as a man of few words. Castelblanco will play Steve, the accountant for the tavern who does his work at the bar. He...
- 3/18/2024
- by Rosy Cordero
- Deadline Film + TV
If you were to design a global sales agent in a lab, they would come out looking a lot like Tamara Birkemoe.
Born in Italy to Chilean parents and raised between Sweden and Rome before moving to the U.S. for film school, the multilingual exec has been a force on the indie film scene since her first job, straight out of UCLA, for Mark Damon’s Mdp Worldwide. For the next 16 years, Birkemoe put in time at Mdp (later Media 8 Entertainment) and then at Foresight Unlimited, the production and sales group Damon set up in 2005. The slate she oversaw ranged from studio-released big-budget action fare, such as Peter Berg’s Lone Survivor and Baltasar Kormákur’s 2 Guns, both Universal Pictures films, which grossed $155 million and $132 million worldwide, respectively; to Kevin Costner starrer The Upside of Anger, a New Line release that earned $28 million worldwide; and Patty Jenkins’ low-budget true-crime drama Monster,...
Born in Italy to Chilean parents and raised between Sweden and Rome before moving to the U.S. for film school, the multilingual exec has been a force on the indie film scene since her first job, straight out of UCLA, for Mark Damon’s Mdp Worldwide. For the next 16 years, Birkemoe put in time at Mdp (later Media 8 Entertainment) and then at Foresight Unlimited, the production and sales group Damon set up in 2005. The slate she oversaw ranged from studio-released big-budget action fare, such as Peter Berg’s Lone Survivor and Baltasar Kormákur’s 2 Guns, both Universal Pictures films, which grossed $155 million and $132 million worldwide, respectively; to Kevin Costner starrer The Upside of Anger, a New Line release that earned $28 million worldwide; and Patty Jenkins’ low-budget true-crime drama Monster,...
- 2/16/2024
- by Scott Roxborough
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Russell Crowe and Liam Hemsworth star in director William Eubank’s action thriller, Land Of Bad. Here’s an intense, shooty red band trailer.
Russell Crowe arguably gets the cosier end of the deal in the upcoming action thriller, Land Of Bad. While Liam Hemsworth wades through water, gets shot at, and seemingly gets involved in Fight Club-style fisticuffs, Crowe sits in a gamer’s chair and barking advice in an air conditioned military building.
Land Of Bad is the latest film from director William Eubank (who also co-writes with David Frigerio) – a filmmaker who broke through with the low-budget yet ambitious sci-fi Love in 2011. He later made sci-fi thriller The Signal (2014), the actually-pretty-good ocean bottom sci-fi horror Underwater (2020), and chiller sequel Paranormal Activity: Next Of Kin (2021).
Read more: 2014 | An unusually good year for sci-fi films
His latest film is an intense-looking behind-enemy-lines opus akin to something like Peter Berg’s Lone Survivor.
Russell Crowe arguably gets the cosier end of the deal in the upcoming action thriller, Land Of Bad. While Liam Hemsworth wades through water, gets shot at, and seemingly gets involved in Fight Club-style fisticuffs, Crowe sits in a gamer’s chair and barking advice in an air conditioned military building.
Land Of Bad is the latest film from director William Eubank (who also co-writes with David Frigerio) – a filmmaker who broke through with the low-budget yet ambitious sci-fi Love in 2011. He later made sci-fi thriller The Signal (2014), the actually-pretty-good ocean bottom sci-fi horror Underwater (2020), and chiller sequel Paranormal Activity: Next Of Kin (2021).
Read more: 2014 | An unusually good year for sci-fi films
His latest film is an intense-looking behind-enemy-lines opus akin to something like Peter Berg’s Lone Survivor.
- 2/9/2024
- by Ryan Lambie
- Film Stories
The sci-fi action TV series The Six Million Dollar Man was so incredibly popular when it was running on ABC back in the 1970s, it’s shocking that the franchise hasn’t received a revival outside of a few TV movies that aired in the ’80s and ’90s. It’s not for a lack of trying – in fact, an update called The Six Billion Dollar Man has been making its way through development hell for almost thirty years at this point. Mark Wahlberg has been attached to star in the project since 2014… and during a recent interview with Collider, Wahlberg expressed hope that The Six Billion Dollar Man will finally be going into production soon.
Inspired by Martin Caidin’s 1972 novel Cyborg (which received three sequels), The Six Million Dollar Man had the following synopsis: After a severely injured test pilot is rebuilt with nuclear-powered bionic limbs and implants, he serves as an intelligence agent.
Inspired by Martin Caidin’s 1972 novel Cyborg (which received three sequels), The Six Million Dollar Man had the following synopsis: After a severely injured test pilot is rebuilt with nuclear-powered bionic limbs and implants, he serves as an intelligence agent.
- 12/13/2023
- by Cody Hamman
- JoBlo.com
Exclusive: Michael Sugar’s Sugar23 has signed Lana Condor, the award-winning actor and producer best known for her breakout performance in Netflix’s YA rom-com franchise, To All The Boys I’ve Loved Before.
In the first film of the same name released in 2018, which adapted Jenny Han’s 2014 novel, Condor took on the role of Lara Jean Covey, a shy high schooler whose love life is thrown into chaos when her secret love letters are exposed. Following its success on Netflix, she reprised her role in the hit sequels To All The Boys: P.S. I Still Love You and To All The Boys: Always and Forever.
Currently, the actress can be heard voicing in the title role in DreamWorks/Universal’s Ruby Gillman: Teenage Kraken, an animated feature also starring Jane Fonda, Toni Collette, and Colman Domingo, which hit theaters nationwide in June. Condor made her acting debut...
In the first film of the same name released in 2018, which adapted Jenny Han’s 2014 novel, Condor took on the role of Lara Jean Covey, a shy high schooler whose love life is thrown into chaos when her secret love letters are exposed. Following its success on Netflix, she reprised her role in the hit sequels To All The Boys: P.S. I Still Love You and To All The Boys: Always and Forever.
Currently, the actress can be heard voicing in the title role in DreamWorks/Universal’s Ruby Gillman: Teenage Kraken, an animated feature also starring Jane Fonda, Toni Collette, and Colman Domingo, which hit theaters nationwide in June. Condor made her acting debut...
- 12/12/2023
- by Matt Grobar
- Deadline Film + TV
Executive worked with Ppp head Tamara Birkemoe at Screen Media, Foresight Unlimited.
Tamara Birkemoe is expanding the executive ranks at Los Angeles-based sales and financing company Palisades Park Pictures and has brought on Kyle Bellinger as vice president of distribution and marketing.
Birkemoe and Bellinger reunite after working together for many years at Screen Media and Foresight Unlimited. Effective immediately, Bellinger will oversee marketing and publicity for Palisades’ robust roster of films and manage distribution operations, working closely with the company’s international network of partners.
Palisades Park Pictures’ current slate includes Nick Vallelonga’s upcoming romance That’s Amore! starring John Travolta,...
Tamara Birkemoe is expanding the executive ranks at Los Angeles-based sales and financing company Palisades Park Pictures and has brought on Kyle Bellinger as vice president of distribution and marketing.
Birkemoe and Bellinger reunite after working together for many years at Screen Media and Foresight Unlimited. Effective immediately, Bellinger will oversee marketing and publicity for Palisades’ robust roster of films and manage distribution operations, working closely with the company’s international network of partners.
Palisades Park Pictures’ current slate includes Nick Vallelonga’s upcoming romance That’s Amore! starring John Travolta,...
- 11/30/2023
- by Jeremy Kay
- ScreenDaily
Exclusive: The Hideaway Entertainment has snapped up rights to Level Up, a high concept spec script from screenwriters David Matalon (Totally Killer) and Matthew Altman (Feed the Devil).
A sci-fi action comedy, Level Up is about a man who wakes up bound and blindfolded in a top-secret facility deep beneath Area 51, soon discovering that he has amazing but inexplicable new abilities. His only hope to escape is the alien he’s imprisoned with… and she hates humans. But as they navigate their way out, their unconventional alliance becomes the key to saving the world from an impending global catastrophe.
Jonathan Gray and Matthew Rhodes will produce on behalf of The Hideaway Entertainment, alongside Navid McIllhargey of Vandal Entertainment and Erik Olsen of Apocalyptic Entertainment. The Hideaway’s Ryan Cassells will serve as executive producer. The team is currently meeting with directors and plans to shoot next year.
“As writers,” Matalon and Altman said,...
A sci-fi action comedy, Level Up is about a man who wakes up bound and blindfolded in a top-secret facility deep beneath Area 51, soon discovering that he has amazing but inexplicable new abilities. His only hope to escape is the alien he’s imprisoned with… and she hates humans. But as they navigate their way out, their unconventional alliance becomes the key to saving the world from an impending global catastrophe.
Jonathan Gray and Matthew Rhodes will produce on behalf of The Hideaway Entertainment, alongside Navid McIllhargey of Vandal Entertainment and Erik Olsen of Apocalyptic Entertainment. The Hideaway’s Ryan Cassells will serve as executive producer. The team is currently meeting with directors and plans to shoot next year.
“As writers,” Matalon and Altman said,...
- 11/30/2023
- by Matt Grobar
- Deadline Film + TV
Exclusive: Three former Automatik execs are launching a new production company.
Justin Levy, Brian Kavanaugh-Jones and Fred Berger have launched Station26, which is backed with a first-look deal at A+E Studios and Range Studios. Kavanaugh-Jones and Berger are still Partners and Co-Presidents of Film & Production at Range.
It comes after Range Media Partners merged with Automatik earlier this year.
Station26 will be run by Levy as President alongside Mariel Redlin, who previously worked with Levy at Automatik, as VP of Production for Scripted Television.
It launches with a development slate and a number of projects already set up at streamers including limited series Black Rabbit at Netflix with Jason Bateman and Jude Law.
Levy had been with Automatik since 2018 as part of its plan to ramp up into television. He recently exec produced Kaleidoscope for Netflix. He joined the company in 2018, having been president of television from Imperative Entertainment, the...
Justin Levy, Brian Kavanaugh-Jones and Fred Berger have launched Station26, which is backed with a first-look deal at A+E Studios and Range Studios. Kavanaugh-Jones and Berger are still Partners and Co-Presidents of Film & Production at Range.
It comes after Range Media Partners merged with Automatik earlier this year.
Station26 will be run by Levy as President alongside Mariel Redlin, who previously worked with Levy at Automatik, as VP of Production for Scripted Television.
It launches with a development slate and a number of projects already set up at streamers including limited series Black Rabbit at Netflix with Jason Bateman and Jude Law.
Levy had been with Automatik since 2018 as part of its plan to ramp up into television. He recently exec produced Kaleidoscope for Netflix. He joined the company in 2018, having been president of television from Imperative Entertainment, the...
- 11/7/2023
- by Peter White
- Deadline Film + TV
It's a miracle Peter Berg's "Hancock" exists at all.
The revisionist Will Smith superhero flick began life in 1996 as a spec screenplay by Vy Vincent Ngo called "Tonight, He Comes." The tale of a surly, alcoholic antihero was way ahead of its time; it was a refutation of comic book movies that weren't being made in the absurd volume we're seeing today. It was also startlingly original, which prompted no less an A-lister than Tony Scott to acquire it as a potential directing project. It was one of the hottest scripts in Hollywood, and, for six solid years, it went absolutely nowhere.
"Tonight, He Comes" nearly went before cameras in the early 2000s under the direction of Michael Mann, then nearly came to fruition with the likes of Jonathan Mostow and Gabriele Muccino at the helm. Vince Gilligan and John August were brought in to rework the script in...
The revisionist Will Smith superhero flick began life in 1996 as a spec screenplay by Vy Vincent Ngo called "Tonight, He Comes." The tale of a surly, alcoholic antihero was way ahead of its time; it was a refutation of comic book movies that weren't being made in the absurd volume we're seeing today. It was also startlingly original, which prompted no less an A-lister than Tony Scott to acquire it as a potential directing project. It was one of the hottest scripts in Hollywood, and, for six solid years, it went absolutely nowhere.
"Tonight, He Comes" nearly went before cameras in the early 2000s under the direction of Michael Mann, then nearly came to fruition with the likes of Jonathan Mostow and Gabriele Muccino at the helm. Vince Gilligan and John August were brought in to rework the script in...
- 11/4/2023
- by Jeremy Smith
- Slash Film
Exclusive: NFL legend Tom Brady is retired for good, we all assume, and now an Oscar-nominated screenwriting duo is tackling his legacy.
Paul Tamasy & Eric Johnson, who wrote The Fighter – a film about a lesser-known Boston-area athlete – are working on The Patriot Way, a scripted limited series in development about the Goat quarterback and his dominant New England Patriots teams. The pair is adapting Casey Sherman and Dave Wedge’s bestselling 2018 book 12: The Inside Story of Tom Brady’s Fight for Redemption.
The Patriot Way chronicles Brady’s improbable rise from sixth-round NFL draft pick to his half-dozen Super Bowl wins with the Patriots, the Aaron Hernandez, Spygate and Deflategate scandals and Brady’s battle of wills with head coach Bill Belichick.
The Maze Runner‘s Ellen Goldsmith-Vein of Gotham Group will produce.
Related: NFL Schedule 2023: Primetime Games, Thanksgiving & Christmas Tripleheaders, Prime Video Black Friday Freebie & More
“The...
Paul Tamasy & Eric Johnson, who wrote The Fighter – a film about a lesser-known Boston-area athlete – are working on The Patriot Way, a scripted limited series in development about the Goat quarterback and his dominant New England Patriots teams. The pair is adapting Casey Sherman and Dave Wedge’s bestselling 2018 book 12: The Inside Story of Tom Brady’s Fight for Redemption.
The Patriot Way chronicles Brady’s improbable rise from sixth-round NFL draft pick to his half-dozen Super Bowl wins with the Patriots, the Aaron Hernandez, Spygate and Deflategate scandals and Brady’s battle of wills with head coach Bill Belichick.
The Maze Runner‘s Ellen Goldsmith-Vein of Gotham Group will produce.
Related: NFL Schedule 2023: Primetime Games, Thanksgiving & Christmas Tripleheaders, Prime Video Black Friday Freebie & More
“The...
- 9/28/2023
- by Erik Pedersen and Andreas Wiseman
- Deadline Film + TV
1996 was a dark year for The Italian Stallion. Sylvester Stallone had two pricey flops in 1995, with Judge Dredd and Assassins. His Christmas of 1996 disaster movie release, Daylight, was another box office bomb. Just a few years before, Stallone had made a significant comeback with Cliffhanger and Demolition Man, but now the whole industry was changing. Carolco, the company that financed some of the era’s biggest hits, had gone bankrupt, and action movies were getting smaller and smaller. Arnold Schwarzenegger was on the decline, with Eraser a smaller hit than usual. Jean Claude Van Damme and Steven Seagal were only a few years away from making direct-to-video movies. What was Sly to do? The result is one of his very best movies –Cop Land – as we explore in the episode of Sylvester Stallone Revisited.
In the 1990s, one of the biggest stars on the planet was Sylvester Stallone’s former protege,...
In the 1990s, one of the biggest stars on the planet was Sylvester Stallone’s former protege,...
- 9/24/2023
- by Chris Bumbray
- JoBlo.com
One of HBO's most successful comedies of the last decade married Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson with football in the form of "Ballers." Given that the first love of the wrestler-turned-actor was football — he had aspirations of playing in the NFL — it was a good marriage, with the show running for five seasons on the premium cable network. The series came to an end in 2019, concluding the story of financial manager Spencer Strasmore. But why did HBO cancel the show, which featured one of the biggest stars on the planet?
The show sees Johnson playing Spencer, a retired NFL superstar who is trying to make it as a financial manager for current players as they navigate life off the field. The core cast also included the likes of Rob Corddry (Joe Krutel) and John David Washington (Ricky Jerret). Recently, "Ballers" exploded in popularity on Netflix as HBO licensed the rights to...
The show sees Johnson playing Spencer, a retired NFL superstar who is trying to make it as a financial manager for current players as they navigate life off the field. The core cast also included the likes of Rob Corddry (Joe Krutel) and John David Washington (Ricky Jerret). Recently, "Ballers" exploded in popularity on Netflix as HBO licensed the rights to...
- 9/14/2023
- by Ryan Scott
- Slash Film
Domestic distributor Bleecker Street is in negotiations to acquire rights to “Fackham Hall,” a British spoof of “Downton Abbey” and other costume dramas. Sales outfit The Veterans is pre-selling international territories. And as international buyers face a potential drought of Hollywood product due to strikes, the market is offering other promising presale titles.
WME Independent is pre-selling James Madigan’s “The Beast,” with Samuel L. Jackson in negotiations to star. He’ll play a U.S. president who fights a coup in his battle-ready, bomb-proof limousine with grenades and shotguns. As he rides through a violent wasteland of chaos and unrelenting carnage, he must learn to control The Beast — and the monster inside himself — to save his life, the life of a Secret Service agent (Joel Kinnaman of “Suicide Squad” fame) and his country. Unified Pictures’ Keith Kjarval, Fifth Season, Film 44’s John Logan Pierson and Peter Berg are producing...
WME Independent is pre-selling James Madigan’s “The Beast,” with Samuel L. Jackson in negotiations to star. He’ll play a U.S. president who fights a coup in his battle-ready, bomb-proof limousine with grenades and shotguns. As he rides through a violent wasteland of chaos and unrelenting carnage, he must learn to control The Beast — and the monster inside himself — to save his life, the life of a Secret Service agent (Joel Kinnaman of “Suicide Squad” fame) and his country. Unified Pictures’ Keith Kjarval, Fifth Season, Film 44’s John Logan Pierson and Peter Berg are producing...
- 9/7/2023
- by Gregg Goldstein
- Variety Film + TV
Samuel L. Jackson is in talks to star as the President of the United States alongside Joel Kinnaman in independent action thriller “The Beast” from WME Independent, according to an insider with knowledge of the project.
The film, which has an Interim Agreement from SAG-AFTRA, was packaged pre-strike and is currently in preproduction.
The project centers on the impenetrable presidential limousine — nicknamed “The Beast” by the Secret Service. Stocked with grenades, rigged with shotguns, armor-plated, bullet- and bomb-proof and hermetically sealed, the Beast is a grinding defensive titan and no match for any enemy vehicle.
When a militia of unidentified hostiles coordinates a devastating coup against the U.S. presidency, the president (Jackson) uncovers the extent of the Beast’s highly classified offensive capabilities, too. Separated from his wife, the one thing tethering him to his humanity as he tears through a violent wasteland of chaos and carnage, the president...
The film, which has an Interim Agreement from SAG-AFTRA, was packaged pre-strike and is currently in preproduction.
The project centers on the impenetrable presidential limousine — nicknamed “The Beast” by the Secret Service. Stocked with grenades, rigged with shotguns, armor-plated, bullet- and bomb-proof and hermetically sealed, the Beast is a grinding defensive titan and no match for any enemy vehicle.
When a militia of unidentified hostiles coordinates a devastating coup against the U.S. presidency, the president (Jackson) uncovers the extent of the Beast’s highly classified offensive capabilities, too. Separated from his wife, the one thing tethering him to his humanity as he tears through a violent wasteland of chaos and carnage, the president...
- 9/6/2023
- by Umberto Gonzalez
- The Wrap
Exclusive: Amid some uncertainty over the level of pre-sales business possible at Toronto and the AFM due to the strikes, a handful of packages are beginning to emerge.
The first significant project to be revealed for the TIFF market is WME Independent package The Beast, which has The Avengers and The Marvels star Samuel L. Jackson in talks alongside Suicide Squad actor Joel Kinnaman.
The project, which is in pre-production and has an interim agreement from SAG-AFTRA, was packaged prior to the strikes kicking off, we’re told.
The film’s title refers to its subject: a Presidential limousine nicknamed ‘The Beast’ by the Secret Service. The impenetrable tank is stocked with grenades, shotguns, armor-plating and bullet-and-bomb-proofing.
When a militia of unidentified hostiles coordinates a coup against the U.S. presidency, the President (Jackson) uncovers the extent of The Beast’s highly classified offensive capabilities. Separated from his wife, the...
The first significant project to be revealed for the TIFF market is WME Independent package The Beast, which has The Avengers and The Marvels star Samuel L. Jackson in talks alongside Suicide Squad actor Joel Kinnaman.
The project, which is in pre-production and has an interim agreement from SAG-AFTRA, was packaged prior to the strikes kicking off, we’re told.
The film’s title refers to its subject: a Presidential limousine nicknamed ‘The Beast’ by the Secret Service. The impenetrable tank is stocked with grenades, shotguns, armor-plating and bullet-and-bomb-proofing.
When a militia of unidentified hostiles coordinates a coup against the U.S. presidency, the President (Jackson) uncovers the extent of The Beast’s highly classified offensive capabilities. Separated from his wife, the...
- 9/6/2023
- by Andreas Wiseman
- Deadline Film + TV
The recent Supreme Court ruling to block a settlement deal that would have shielded the Sackler family from civil litigation over their former company, Purdue Pharma, and its role in the opioid epidemic came at an opportune time for Netflix. The Sacklers were in the news again just as the streaming platform premiered Painkiller, a limited series about the origins of the opioid crisis via Purdue marketing OxyContin for use as a prescription painkiller. Inspired by Barry Meier’s Pain Killer: An Empire of Deceit and the Origin of America’s Opioid Epidemic, the Peter Berg-produced adaptation centered on a series of fictionalized protagonists but identified the Sacklers specifically as the culprits at the root of the problem.
- 8/18/2023
- by Joe Reid
- Primetimer
When Barry Meier first published what would become his explosive book Pain Killer back in 2003, which investigated the billionaire scions behind Purdue Pharma and the drug OxyContin, it was optioned by production firm Anonymous Content. But, the author says, Hollywood wasn’t actually ready to tell the story. “They had a very hard time selling a script at that point, because Purdue had not been indicted yet by the Justice Department,” Meier tells The Hollywood Reporter. “So people in Hollywood were going, ‘Are these good guys; are they bad guys? How do we cast this?’ Well, by 2007, it was pretty clear that this company had pled guilty to a federal crime, and that OxyContin had planted the seed and was the gateway drug to this horrible opioid epidemic that was still unfolding.”
Nearly 20 years later, after Patrick Radden Keefe’s New Yorker article “The Family That Built the Empire of...
Nearly 20 years later, after Patrick Radden Keefe’s New Yorker article “The Family That Built the Empire of...
- 8/18/2023
- by Jackie Strause
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Painkiller’s Peter Berg is unfazed by the Dopesick comparison.
Concurrent development of similar projects is a tale as old as time in Hollywood, and while it might be a negative for disaster flicks such as 1998’s Armageddon and Deep Impact, Berg views the Painkiller–Dopesick situation as a positive. It means that more and more people are able to learn about the still-ongoing opioid crisis and the massive role that Purdue Pharma and the Sackler family played in its origin. This story has also been told in other films and documentaries, so Berg’s Netflix series with EP Eric Newman, which debuted atop the streamer’s U.S. TV chart with 7.2 million views, and Danny Strong’s Hulu series are by no means alone. And similar to Berg, each present-and-past storyteller likely welcomes additional stories into the fold until this crisis is finally solved.
One of the most devastating aspects of the series,...
Concurrent development of similar projects is a tale as old as time in Hollywood, and while it might be a negative for disaster flicks such as 1998’s Armageddon and Deep Impact, Berg views the Painkiller–Dopesick situation as a positive. It means that more and more people are able to learn about the still-ongoing opioid crisis and the massive role that Purdue Pharma and the Sackler family played in its origin. This story has also been told in other films and documentaries, so Berg’s Netflix series with EP Eric Newman, which debuted atop the streamer’s U.S. TV chart with 7.2 million views, and Danny Strong’s Hulu series are by no means alone. And similar to Berg, each present-and-past storyteller likely welcomes additional stories into the fold until this crisis is finally solved.
One of the most devastating aspects of the series,...
- 8/17/2023
- by Brian Davids
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
It looks like the obscure and long-shelved Jackie Chan/ John Cena vehicle Hidden Strike’s reign at the top of the Netflix charts is over, with Gal Gadot’s spy thriller Heart of Stone topping the global charts. Curiously, Hidden Strike, while still coming in at number 2 on the international charts, completely fell out of the top 10 on the U.S. chart, which seems strange considering how well it did last week (read our review of the underwhelming film here).
Gal Gadot’s mostly well-reviewed Heart of Stone raked in 33.1 Million views and 69.6 hours viewed. While promising, that puts the movie well behind a pair of Netflix’s most recent action flicks, Extraction 2, which raked in 88.4 hours viewed in its first week, and The Mother, which was watched for 83.7 hours. In fact, the latter film, which stars Jennifer Lopez, has turned into Netflix’s biggest hit of the year,...
Gal Gadot’s mostly well-reviewed Heart of Stone raked in 33.1 Million views and 69.6 hours viewed. While promising, that puts the movie well behind a pair of Netflix’s most recent action flicks, Extraction 2, which raked in 88.4 hours viewed in its first week, and The Mother, which was watched for 83.7 hours. In fact, the latter film, which stars Jennifer Lopez, has turned into Netflix’s biggest hit of the year,...
- 8/15/2023
- by Chris Bumbray
- JoBlo.com
These days, it feels like so many major Hollywood movies are based on preexisting properties or serving as sequels, prequels, or remakes to popular films that there's no room for fresh ideas. Fortunately, movies based on original concepts do still make an impact on the film industry and continue to garner critical acclaim and commercial support at the box office. Looking back through cinema history, those movies that made their mark without becoming a franchise stand out as truly special experiences.
For the purposes of this article, a movie is considered a franchise if it has at least one follow-up, including follow-ups in active development. Movies are additionally considered franchises if they're based on television series, direct-to-video films, or products, like "Barbie." Movies that receive a line of tie-in merchandising, a non-film adaptation, or that are literary adaptations are not considered franchises here. So, with those provisions, let's rank the...
For the purposes of this article, a movie is considered a franchise if it has at least one follow-up, including follow-ups in active development. Movies are additionally considered franchises if they're based on television series, direct-to-video films, or products, like "Barbie." Movies that receive a line of tie-in merchandising, a non-film adaptation, or that are literary adaptations are not considered franchises here. So, with those provisions, let's rank the...
- 8/13/2023
- by Samuel Stone
- Slash Film
When atomic bombs were dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki in 1945, the country responsible for the detonation thought only of victory in the war, disregarding the ordinary people who lost their lives in the blasts. This illustrates how extremely powerful individuals in a nation make drastic decisions that have the potential for economic or broader advantages, even at the cost of risking the common people’s lives. In Netflix’s latest offering, Painkiller, director Peter Berg depicts such drastic circumstances through its fictional retelling of a horrific true story. Painkiller is a story about a pharmaceutical company known as Purdue Pharma, owned by the Sackler family, that came up with a life-threatening drug called OxyContin disguised as a seemingly harmless painkiller that led a significant portion of the American population to develop addictions and subsequently lose their lives.
Spoilers Ahead
Who Was Edie Flowers? What Was She Investigating?
In the opening of each episode of Painkiller,...
Spoilers Ahead
Who Was Edie Flowers? What Was She Investigating?
In the opening of each episode of Painkiller,...
- 8/12/2023
- by Poulami Nanda
- Film Fugitives
There are many serious factors that led to a stunningly high portion of the American population getting addicted to drugs. Socio-economic tension, along with corrupt medical practices and pharmaceutical marketing, escalated the issue to a dangerous level. This turned an alarming number of people into drug addicts through painkillers. Among these pharmaceutical companies, Purdue Pharmaceuticals, founded by John Purdue Grey and owned by the Sackler family, altered the course of medical practices by introducing an extremely dangerous and addictive drug as a pain reliever.
Pain is an unbearable feeling, much like a sharp blade slicing through our skin or a heavy weight burdening our spirit. Whether physical or mental, humans tend to try to get rid of this pain using any means possible. If someone were to profit from exploiting pain, a strong, intolerable sensation and a fundamental aspect of humanity, they could potentially become a dominant figure. This is...
Pain is an unbearable feeling, much like a sharp blade slicing through our skin or a heavy weight burdening our spirit. Whether physical or mental, humans tend to try to get rid of this pain using any means possible. If someone were to profit from exploiting pain, a strong, intolerable sensation and a fundamental aspect of humanity, they could potentially become a dominant figure. This is...
- 8/12/2023
- by Poulami Nanda
- Film Fugitives
As of last year, over a million people have died of opioid overdoses in the United States. The central culprits, as outlined in Netflix’s latest miniseries, “Painkiller,” are Purdue Pharma and the “non-addictive” prescription drug they marketed to anyone with a pulse and a toothache: OxyContin. It’s a distinctly American tragedy — painful, self-inflicted, motivated by avarice, and, sadly, nowhere near adequately addressed even decades on. There have been plenty of attempts to chart the origins of this crisis on the big and small screens, from documentaries to, fittingly, other prestige streaming miniseries (Hulu’s acclaimed “Dopesick.”) Director Peter Berg’s turn at bat is an overly glib affair that leans a bit too hard into its arch, devious tone to give such apocalyptic material the gravity it deserves.
Continue reading ‘Painkiller’ Review: Peter Berg’s Miniseries With Taylor Kitsch, Matthew Broderick & More Awkwardly Takes On The Opioid Crisis at The Playlist.
Continue reading ‘Painkiller’ Review: Peter Berg’s Miniseries With Taylor Kitsch, Matthew Broderick & More Awkwardly Takes On The Opioid Crisis at The Playlist.
- 8/10/2023
- by The Playlist
- The Playlist
Just about everything you need to hear from “Painkiller” is conveyed within its familiar yet hard-hitting first hour. There’s an aptly scathing introduction to the Sackler family, starting with Arthur (Clark Gregg), who transformed the pharmaceutical industry through public-facing advertising campaigns, then his nephew/”disciple,” Richard (Matthew Broderick), who followed his uncle’s playbook when pushing OxyContin to the masses. Next there’s Shannon Schaeffer (West Duchovny), a broke college grad who’s recruited by the Sackler’s company, Purdue, to help push their new wonder drug to doctors. Then there’s Glen Kryger (Taylor Kitsch), a loving husband and father who’s prescribed — you guessed it — OxyContin after an on-the-job injury. And finally, providing the framework for all these stories, there’s Edie Flowers (Uzo Aduba), a lawyer at the U.S. Attorney’s office who was among the first to investigate the tragic impact of OxyContin — and...
- 8/10/2023
- by Ben Travers
- Indiewire
Eric Newman didn’t set out to be a writer. In fact, segueing to writing, much less showrunning, wasn’t even his idea. The veteran producer, whose résumé was lined with films like Children of Men and Dawn of the Dead, was down in Colombia making Narcos when, he says, Netflix urged him to take the reins. “It was out of the absolute chaos of Narcos‘ first season that I became a showrunner,” Newman explains. “It was Netflix that said, ‘Hey, you’re down there holding it together. You do it.’ “
Nearly a decade later, he has multiple projects in various stages of development and moves fluidly between behind-the-scenes roles. His reputation for getting stuff made earned the 52-year-old father of three overall deals for film and TV at Netflix, where he’s also produced The Watcher, Bright and, soon, Painkiller, a Peter Berg-directed drama about the opioid crisis.
Nearly a decade later, he has multiple projects in various stages of development and moves fluidly between behind-the-scenes roles. His reputation for getting stuff made earned the 52-year-old father of three overall deals for film and TV at Netflix, where he’s also produced The Watcher, Bright and, soon, Painkiller, a Peter Berg-directed drama about the opioid crisis.
- 8/10/2023
- by Lacey Rose
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
While Fentanyl now dominates headlines as the drug wreaking havoc on our society, back in the late 1990s and early 2000s, it was OxyContin that led conversations about the impact of overprescribed opioids. Formulated, produced, marketed and sold by the family-run organization Purdue Pharma, Oxy quickly grew in popularity because it was marketed as a safe, “non-addictive” opioid. Oxy was then pushed onto patients through respected healthcare professionals who were misinformed about the drug and profited greatly from prescribing it.
Barry Meier’s book “Pain Killer” and the New Yorker article “The Family That Built the Empire of Pain,” by Patrick Radden Keefe, documented the rise of OxyContin and the lasting impact it had here in the U.S., and both serve as the foundation for Netflix’s new limited series “Painkiller.” Directed by Peter Berg, the show is a fictionalized account of the opioid epidemic as told from the perspective of the survivors,...
Barry Meier’s book “Pain Killer” and the New Yorker article “The Family That Built the Empire of Pain,” by Patrick Radden Keefe, documented the rise of OxyContin and the lasting impact it had here in the U.S., and both serve as the foundation for Netflix’s new limited series “Painkiller.” Directed by Peter Berg, the show is a fictionalized account of the opioid epidemic as told from the perspective of the survivors,...
- 8/10/2023
- by Aramide Tinubu
- Variety Film + TV
Cults come in many shapes, sizes and forms, not all of them involving a charismatic figurehead, secluded hideaway, or cache of weapons. Sometimes, as in Netflix’s lively new Sackler family takedown Painkiller, the angels of death are short-skirted sales reps, heroin Barbies who scream their heads off at sales “conferences” and seduce doctors with gifts, hefty speaker fees, and, sometimes, sex. They’re paid handsomely, plied with Porsches and luxury apartments, all for spreading the lethal lies that Oxycontin isn’t terribly addictive and doctors are professionally if not...
- 8/10/2023
- by Chris Vognar
- Rollingstone.com
‘Painkiller‘ is a limited series directed by Peter Berg, and starring Uzo Aduba and Matthew Broderick. The series has premiered on Netflix on August 10th.
It is based on the investigative news articles “The Family That Built an Empire of Pain” by Patrick Radden Keefe and “Pain Killer: An Empire of Deceit and the Origin of America’s Opioid Epidemic” by Barry Meier.
Premise
This drama delves into the origins and aftermath of the opioid epidemic in America, shedding light on the individuals responsible, the victims affected, and an investigator determined to uncover the truth.
About the Series
Many of us know how the Purdue Pharma / Sackler saga went down. In the six episodes of “Painkiller” we are offered a recount, in fictionalized form, of the events that left the Sackler family in disgrace thanks to the case against Purdue Pharma concerning the pharmaceutical’s pushing of OxyContin into the market,...
It is based on the investigative news articles “The Family That Built an Empire of Pain” by Patrick Radden Keefe and “Pain Killer: An Empire of Deceit and the Origin of America’s Opioid Epidemic” by Barry Meier.
Premise
This drama delves into the origins and aftermath of the opioid epidemic in America, shedding light on the individuals responsible, the victims affected, and an investigator determined to uncover the truth.
About the Series
Many of us know how the Purdue Pharma / Sackler saga went down. In the six episodes of “Painkiller” we are offered a recount, in fictionalized form, of the events that left the Sackler family in disgrace thanks to the case against Purdue Pharma concerning the pharmaceutical’s pushing of OxyContin into the market,...
- 8/10/2023
- by Elisabeth Plank
- Martin Cid - TV
‘Painkiller‘ is a limited series directed by Peter Berg, and starring Uzo Aduba and Matthew Broderick. The series has premiered on Netflix on August 10th.
It is based on the investigative news articles “The Family That Built an Empire of Pain” by Patrick Radden Keefe and “Pain Killer: An Empire of Deceit and the Origin of America’s Opioid Epidemic” by Barry Meier.
Premise
This drama delves into the origins and aftermath of the opioid epidemic in America, shedding light on the individuals responsible, the victims affected, and an investigator determined to uncover the truth.
About the Series
Many of us know how the Purdue Pharma / Sackler saga went down. In the six episodes of “Painkiller” we are offered a recount, in fictionalized form, of the events that left the Sackler family in disgrace thanks to the case against Purdue Pharma concerning the pharmaceutical’s pushing of OxyContin into the market,...
It is based on the investigative news articles “The Family That Built an Empire of Pain” by Patrick Radden Keefe and “Pain Killer: An Empire of Deceit and the Origin of America’s Opioid Epidemic” by Barry Meier.
Premise
This drama delves into the origins and aftermath of the opioid epidemic in America, shedding light on the individuals responsible, the victims affected, and an investigator determined to uncover the truth.
About the Series
Many of us know how the Purdue Pharma / Sackler saga went down. In the six episodes of “Painkiller” we are offered a recount, in fictionalized form, of the events that left the Sackler family in disgrace thanks to the case against Purdue Pharma concerning the pharmaceutical’s pushing of OxyContin into the market,...
- 8/10/2023
- by Elisabeth Plank
- Martin Cid - TV
Adam McKay’s name is nowhere to be found in the credits for Painkiller, for the very good reason that he had nothing to do with it.
Yet it’s hard not to see his influence all over the Netflix miniseries. It’s there in the restless pacing, in the heavy-handed metaphors, in the choice to have the entire thing narrated by a character who all but reaches out from the screen to grab the audience by the lapels and shake them into action.
And it’s there, too, in the accompanying limitations. Painkiller, created by Micah Fitzerman-Blue and Noah Harper, presumably intends for all that flash to draw attention to its weighty central narrative about the launch of OxyContin and the ensuing opioid epidemic. But it overshoots that mark. The style is so ostentatious it distracts from the substance, even as it means to hammer home how important that substance really is.
Yet it’s hard not to see his influence all over the Netflix miniseries. It’s there in the restless pacing, in the heavy-handed metaphors, in the choice to have the entire thing narrated by a character who all but reaches out from the screen to grab the audience by the lapels and shake them into action.
And it’s there, too, in the accompanying limitations. Painkiller, created by Micah Fitzerman-Blue and Noah Harper, presumably intends for all that flash to draw attention to its weighty central narrative about the launch of OxyContin and the ensuing opioid epidemic. But it overshoots that mark. The style is so ostentatious it distracts from the substance, even as it means to hammer home how important that substance really is.
- 8/10/2023
- by Angie Han
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
It’s hard to say how “Painkiller,” a fictionalized Netflix limited series based on America’s opioid crisis, would play had one never seen the similarly themed and structured – and vastly superior – 2021 Hulu limited series “Dopesick.”
The new show’s misuse of lead actors Uzo Aduba, who plays a crusading U.S. Attorney’s office investigator, and Matthew Broderick, who plays real-life former Purdue Pharma head Richard Sackler – would be evident either way. So would director Peter Berg’s overuse of early aughts-style rock ‘em sock ‘em shaky camera work, quick edits and blue light.
But “Painkiller” likely would not seem so wholly unnecessary if “Dopesick” did not exist.
Unfolding over six hour-long episodes, “Painkiller” makes compelling points about Purdue, the pharmaceutical company that overhyped the painkilling potential of its drug OxyContin while underplaying its addictive qualities. Characters repeatedly call OxyContin what it is: heroin in candy coating. Such frankness...
The new show’s misuse of lead actors Uzo Aduba, who plays a crusading U.S. Attorney’s office investigator, and Matthew Broderick, who plays real-life former Purdue Pharma head Richard Sackler – would be evident either way. So would director Peter Berg’s overuse of early aughts-style rock ‘em sock ‘em shaky camera work, quick edits and blue light.
But “Painkiller” likely would not seem so wholly unnecessary if “Dopesick” did not exist.
Unfolding over six hour-long episodes, “Painkiller” makes compelling points about Purdue, the pharmaceutical company that overhyped the painkilling potential of its drug OxyContin while underplaying its addictive qualities. Characters repeatedly call OxyContin what it is: heroin in candy coating. Such frankness...
- 8/10/2023
- by Carla Meyer
- The Wrap
Blake Griffin and Ryan Kalil’s film and TV production company, Mortal Media, has led an investment round for animation studio Swaybox Studios, Variety has learned exclusively.
As part of the investment, Mortal Media will join Swaybox’s advisory board, while Griffin and Kalil have also put an untitled live-action/animation hybrid project into development with the studio.
Swaybox was co-founded by Theresa Andersson and Arthur Mintz in 2013 in Shreveport, Louisiana. The company has developed a new animation technology and process for film and television production, called “Momo Animation.” The technology involves a combination of three traditional animation forms: CGI animation, practical elements of stop motion, and live action real-time performance.
“We’ve been so impressed with Arthur and Theresa’s vision and long-term aspirations for the company, “ said Kalil. “Swaybox’s technology is really remarkable, but it’s the artistry of their animators, puppeteers, and craftspeople that makes Swaybox animation feel like magic.
As part of the investment, Mortal Media will join Swaybox’s advisory board, while Griffin and Kalil have also put an untitled live-action/animation hybrid project into development with the studio.
Swaybox was co-founded by Theresa Andersson and Arthur Mintz in 2013 in Shreveport, Louisiana. The company has developed a new animation technology and process for film and television production, called “Momo Animation.” The technology involves a combination of three traditional animation forms: CGI animation, practical elements of stop motion, and live action real-time performance.
“We’ve been so impressed with Arthur and Theresa’s vision and long-term aspirations for the company, “ said Kalil. “Swaybox’s technology is really remarkable, but it’s the artistry of their animators, puppeteers, and craftspeople that makes Swaybox animation feel like magic.
- 8/3/2023
- by Joe Otterson
- Variety Film + TV
In some ways, August is a month of endings, at least on television. Both Billions and Archer begin their final seasons as does a great, unusual comedy covered below. But as melancholy as that sounds, there’s plenty of new stuff on the horizon, too, including everything from a new take on (part of) Dracula and an ambitious miniseries about the opioid crisis. We’ll kick things off with a fresh take on an old favorite. Here’s everything you should watch in theaters, plus more on Prime Video, Hulu,...
- 8/1/2023
- by Keith Phipps
- Rollingstone.com
The trailer for Netflix’s new limited series “Painkiller” has arrived.
Inspired by real events based on America’s opioid crisis, the look-ahead clip sees an investigator with the US attorney’s office (Uzo Aduba) look into “how something so legally prescribed could be killing so many people.”
Read More: Uzo Aduba Expecting Her First Child With Husband Robert Sweeting: ‘I Am Beyond Excited’
Uzo Aduba as Edie in episode 102 of “Painkiller”. — Photo: Keri Anderson/Netflix
The official synopsis reads: “A fictionalized retelling of events, ‘Painkiller’ is a scripted limited series that explores some of the origins and aftermath of the opioid crisis in America, highlighting the stories of the perpetrators, victims, and truth-seekers whose lives are forever altered by the invention of OxyContin.”
Taylor Kitsch as Glen Kryger, Carolina Bartczak as Lily Kryger in episode 101 of “Painkiller”. — Photo: Keri Anderson/Netflix West Duchovny as Shannon Shaeffer in episode...
Inspired by real events based on America’s opioid crisis, the look-ahead clip sees an investigator with the US attorney’s office (Uzo Aduba) look into “how something so legally prescribed could be killing so many people.”
Read More: Uzo Aduba Expecting Her First Child With Husband Robert Sweeting: ‘I Am Beyond Excited’
Uzo Aduba as Edie in episode 102 of “Painkiller”. — Photo: Keri Anderson/Netflix
The official synopsis reads: “A fictionalized retelling of events, ‘Painkiller’ is a scripted limited series that explores some of the origins and aftermath of the opioid crisis in America, highlighting the stories of the perpetrators, victims, and truth-seekers whose lives are forever altered by the invention of OxyContin.”
Taylor Kitsch as Glen Kryger, Carolina Bartczak as Lily Kryger in episode 101 of “Painkiller”. — Photo: Keri Anderson/Netflix West Duchovny as Shannon Shaeffer in episode...
- 7/11/2023
- by Melissa Romualdi
- ET Canada
How did the Opioid Crisis begin? Netflix’s upcoming series “Painkiller” looks at the origin of OxyContin and its resulting impact. A Purdue Pharma creation, the drug would be championed by the company’s owners — namely Richard Sackler. Peter Berg directs this adaptation of a New Yorker article from Patrick Radden Keef and the Barry Meier book “Pain Killer: An Empire of Deceit and the Origin of America’s Opioid Epidemic.” It also represents a major step in Berg’s deal with Netflix.
Continue reading ‘Painkiller’ Trailer: Matthew Broderick & Uzo Aduba Star In Peter Berg’s New Netflix Opioid Drama at The Playlist.
Continue reading ‘Painkiller’ Trailer: Matthew Broderick & Uzo Aduba Star In Peter Berg’s New Netflix Opioid Drama at The Playlist.
- 7/11/2023
- by Valerie Thompson
- The Playlist
Netflix’s upcoming limited series “Painkiller” is lifting the veil on America’s opioid crisis, investigating the role of one family in making OxyContin “the No. 1 opioid in the country.”
“All of human behavior is essentially comprised of two things: run from pain, run toward pleasure; pain, pleasure,” Matthew Broderick’s Richard Sackler said in the series’ official trailer. “If we place ourselves right there between pain and pleasure, we will never have to worry about money again.”
As the Sackler dynasty’s Purdue Pharma recruits a batch of fresh-faced sales workers who they claim will convince doctors to “take pain seriously,” an investor from the U.S. attorneys office (Uzo Aduba) is determined to take the family responsible for countless deaths down.
“You lie, you hurt people, you go down,” Aduba said. “They are doing the exact same thing as crack dealers but they are getting rewarded it.”
Also...
“All of human behavior is essentially comprised of two things: run from pain, run toward pleasure; pain, pleasure,” Matthew Broderick’s Richard Sackler said in the series’ official trailer. “If we place ourselves right there between pain and pleasure, we will never have to worry about money again.”
As the Sackler dynasty’s Purdue Pharma recruits a batch of fresh-faced sales workers who they claim will convince doctors to “take pain seriously,” an investor from the U.S. attorneys office (Uzo Aduba) is determined to take the family responsible for countless deaths down.
“You lie, you hurt people, you go down,” Aduba said. “They are doing the exact same thing as crack dealers but they are getting rewarded it.”
Also...
- 7/11/2023
- by Loree Seitz
- The Wrap
Following his BIFA nominated feature films Tucked (2019) and Justine (2021), writer/director Jamie Patterson’s latest continues his look into the untold stories of those on the margins in his hometown of Brighton.
Starring up and coming talent George Webster (Disney+ series Wedding Season and upcoming AppleTV+ series Masters of the Air and Paramount+ series The Doll Factory) and Skye Lourie, and featuring Alice Lowe, Joe Wilkinson, April Pearson, Jordan Stephens, Joss Porter, Benedict Garrett and Patrick Bergin, God‘s Petting You is a darkly twisted comedy charged with erotic thriller energy in its exploration of the depths and depravity of the Brighton underworld.
Synopsis:
At a self-help group, cheeky young Charlie, a down on his luck heroin addict, falls in love with the ravishing ‘Tattoo Girl’, a struggling sex addict. Teaming up they hatch a hair-brained scheme to steal a small fortune from a criminally inclined porn star, a plan that’s guaranteed to fail.
Starring up and coming talent George Webster (Disney+ series Wedding Season and upcoming AppleTV+ series Masters of the Air and Paramount+ series The Doll Factory) and Skye Lourie, and featuring Alice Lowe, Joe Wilkinson, April Pearson, Jordan Stephens, Joss Porter, Benedict Garrett and Patrick Bergin, God‘s Petting You is a darkly twisted comedy charged with erotic thriller energy in its exploration of the depths and depravity of the Brighton underworld.
Synopsis:
At a self-help group, cheeky young Charlie, a down on his luck heroin addict, falls in love with the ravishing ‘Tattoo Girl’, a struggling sex addict. Teaming up they hatch a hair-brained scheme to steal a small fortune from a criminally inclined porn star, a plan that’s guaranteed to fail.
- 6/20/2023
- by Peter 'Witchfinder' Hopkins
- Horror Asylum
Tomorrow Studios has announced the promotion and hiring of Alissa Bachner and Josh Bratman. After joining the company in 2016, Bachner has been elevated to EVP of development where she will continue to oversee the production of the company’s slate of TV dramas and comedies. Bratman joins Tomorrow Studios as its new head of features.
“As we continue our acquisition and development of unparalleled IP, and our work with the leading creatives in Hollywood, we want to maximize our storytelling ability for all formats and produce each project for the format that best tells its story, including opportunities for feature run/streamer double play,” said Tomorrow Studios CEO/Partner Marty Adelstein and President/Partner Becky Clements. “Josh brings a keen eye for developing feature films to the team, and Alissa’s instincts for television are consistently unmatched. We are excited for the greatness to come from them.”
Bachner began her...
“As we continue our acquisition and development of unparalleled IP, and our work with the leading creatives in Hollywood, we want to maximize our storytelling ability for all formats and produce each project for the format that best tells its story, including opportunities for feature run/streamer double play,” said Tomorrow Studios CEO/Partner Marty Adelstein and President/Partner Becky Clements. “Josh brings a keen eye for developing feature films to the team, and Alissa’s instincts for television are consistently unmatched. We are excited for the greatness to come from them.”
Bachner began her...
- 6/6/2023
- by BreAnna Bell
- Variety Film + TV
Exclusive: Tomorrow Studios CEO/Partner Marty Adelstein and President/Partner Becky Clements have promoted Alissa Bachner to EVP, Development. With their expansion into feature film development, they have also hired Josh Bratman as Head of Features.
“As we continue our acquisition and development of unparalleled IP, and our work with the leading creatives in Hollywood, we want to maximize our storytelling ability for all formats and produce each project for the format that best tells its story, including opportunities for feature run/streamer double play,” said Adelstein and Clements in a joint statement. “Josh brings a keen eye for developing feature films to the team, and Alissa’s instincts for television are consistently unmatched. We are excited for the greatness to come from them.”
As EVP, Development, Bachner adds leadership of studio development deals to her role of developing and producing the company’s slate of TV dramas and comedies.
“As we continue our acquisition and development of unparalleled IP, and our work with the leading creatives in Hollywood, we want to maximize our storytelling ability for all formats and produce each project for the format that best tells its story, including opportunities for feature run/streamer double play,” said Adelstein and Clements in a joint statement. “Josh brings a keen eye for developing feature films to the team, and Alissa’s instincts for television are consistently unmatched. We are excited for the greatness to come from them.”
As EVP, Development, Bachner adds leadership of studio development deals to her role of developing and producing the company’s slate of TV dramas and comedies.
- 6/5/2023
- by Lynette Rice
- Deadline Film + TV
The ‘Coming Soon to TV’ shelf in your local bookshop will be sagging under the weight of this lot – the thrillers, sci-fi stories, crime novels and non-fiction currently being adapted for television. If you prefer to read ahead before your imagination is sullied by the small screen version, then here’s where to start, from Apple TV+’s adaptation of 1950s-set revenge comedy Lessons in Chemistry and psychological thriller The Crowded Room, to Prime Video’s new Neil Gaiman show Anansi Boys and rumoured Kay Scarpetta series, via Netflix’s true-life opioid drama Painkiller, Itvx/MGM+ historical adventure series The Winter King and many more. Many many more.
It’s too soon to say when we’ll see those planned adaptations below which are yet to film, given the current WGA Writers’ Strike and earth-shifts taking place among the streaming networks whose pile ‘em high, sell ‘em cheap model is proving unsustainable,...
It’s too soon to say when we’ll see those planned adaptations below which are yet to film, given the current WGA Writers’ Strike and earth-shifts taking place among the streaming networks whose pile ‘em high, sell ‘em cheap model is proving unsustainable,...
- 6/2/2023
- by Louisa Mellor
- Den of Geek
For many years, filmmaker Peter Berg held nothing but fond memories from his college days in the Twin Cities of Minneapolis and St. Paul. “My memory was just one of happiness and real joy, and it felt extremely diverse and inclusive,” the Macalester College alum tells THR — until decades later, when the murder of George Floyd by Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin shook the nation to its core. “When I first saw the killing, I was horrified,” he says. “And I was further horrified when I realized that it was in the Twin Cities.”
Peter Berg
The aftermath caused Berg to examine how the community had changed in the decades since he’d left. Eager to do something constructive and enlightening, the director-producer of the Friday Night Lights film and TV series journeyed back to helm the four-part documentary series Boys in Blue, taking a deep look at the football...
Peter Berg
The aftermath caused Berg to examine how the community had changed in the decades since he’d left. Eager to do something constructive and enlightening, the director-producer of the Friday Night Lights film and TV series journeyed back to helm the four-part documentary series Boys in Blue, taking a deep look at the football...
- 6/1/2023
- by Scott Huver
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Ben Affleck and Jennifer Garner are used to doing fight scenes and physical stunts in movies. But when it came to shooting Daredevil, Affleck asserted that Garner definitely had the edge on him.
Jennifer Garner put Ben Affleck to shame with their ‘Daredevil’ fight scenes Ben Affleck | Frederic J. Brown/Getty Images
Affleck and Garner both played superhero Daredevil and assassin Elektra in the 2003 superhero feature named after Affleck’s Marvel superhero. Being a superhero movie, the film required the pair to engage in more than a few fight scenes.
Whereas Affleck wasn’t too experienced in that department, Garner already had an advantage as she spent years choreographing fights on Alias. So when it came time for the two to face each other on camera, Garner may have had an easier time.
“Jennifer’s great, she’s fabulous,” Affleck once told MTV News. “She’s actually better at [the fighting] than I am.
Jennifer Garner put Ben Affleck to shame with their ‘Daredevil’ fight scenes Ben Affleck | Frederic J. Brown/Getty Images
Affleck and Garner both played superhero Daredevil and assassin Elektra in the 2003 superhero feature named after Affleck’s Marvel superhero. Being a superhero movie, the film required the pair to engage in more than a few fight scenes.
Whereas Affleck wasn’t too experienced in that department, Garner already had an advantage as she spent years choreographing fights on Alias. So when it came time for the two to face each other on camera, Garner may have had an easier time.
“Jennifer’s great, she’s fabulous,” Affleck once told MTV News. “She’s actually better at [the fighting] than I am.
- 5/24/2023
- by Antonio Stallings
- Showbiz Cheat Sheet
With an acting career stretching back to 1994, Mark Wahlberg has starred in everything from independent character studies to blockbuster action fare. Often bringing a focused intensity to his performances, Wahlberg parlays his talents into taking on everything from Transformers to super-intelligent apes to effectively playing against type as an earnest comedic foil. Possessing a subtly wide range, Wahlberg has gone on to work with some of the biggest filmmakers in Hollywood, sometimes on multiple projects and often with critical acclaim and box office success.
Wahlberg is at an inevitable stage in his career that defies typecasting and gives him the freedom to choose from a robust variety of projects. And despite his movie star good looks, Wahlberg often maintains an everyman quality that makes him a relatable actor, even as his characters face extraordinary circumstances. Here are the 14 best Mark Wahlberg movies ranked, elevated by his sheer commitment and the...
Wahlberg is at an inevitable stage in his career that defies typecasting and gives him the freedom to choose from a robust variety of projects. And despite his movie star good looks, Wahlberg often maintains an everyman quality that makes him a relatable actor, even as his characters face extraordinary circumstances. Here are the 14 best Mark Wahlberg movies ranked, elevated by his sheer commitment and the...
- 5/20/2023
- by Samuel Stone
- Slash Film
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